Carton adaptable for conversion to toys



April 28, 1953 R. H. MARTIN 2, L

CARTON ADAPTABLE FOR CONVERSION. TO TOYS Filed Feb. 24, 1949 3 Sheets-Sheetl ISnventor 6 www- April 1953 R. H. MARTIN 36,312

CARTON ADAPTABLE FOR CONVERSION TO TOYS Filed Feb. 24, 1949' s Sheets-Sheet 2 F F5 5 A nven or M ##M dy wrw attorneys April 28, 1953 H, -rm 2,636,312

CARTON ADAPTABLE FOR CONVERSION TO TOYS Filed Feb. 24, 1949 3 Sheetg-Sheet 5 iga Patented Apr. 28, 1953 OFFICE CARTON ADAPTABLE FOR CONVERSION T TOYS Ronald H. Martin, Erlton, N. J. ApplicationFebruary'M, 1949, Serial No. 78,158

3 Claims.

This invention relates to decorated toys and is-particularly concerned with decorated toys whose interest is adapted to be heightened upon rotation thereof about a vertical axis; j

Generally speaking, toys made in accordance with the practice of my invention are adapted to be assembled by a child and'then mounted for rotation on a phonograph turntable either alone or concurrentlywith'the reproduction of a phonograph record.

- In addition, 'my invention contemplates a phonograph record container adapted to be disassembled and reassembled to form a whirling toy which is adapted-to be energized by a phonograph-turntable either alone or concurrently with the reproduction of a phonograph record.

Advantageously, the toy may be decoratedand the decorations may take a form which is entertaining in itself or which is associated or adapted to be associated with intelligence in the form of words or music recorded on a disc phonograph record.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, elements of the finished toy originally form a portion of a container for a phonograph record.

A general object of the invention is to provide a whirling toy which is adapted to be energized by a phonograph turntable.

A further object of the invention is a whirling toy which is adapted to be assembled from elements originally forming part of a phonograph record container.

How the foregoing and other objects are attained will be more clear upon reference to the detailed description which follows and the drawings, in which:

Figure lis an isometric view of a partially open container for a phonograph record made in accordance with the invention;

Figure 2 is a sectional View of the container of Figure 1, taken as indicated by the line 22 in Figure 1; a

Figure 3 is a plan view of the container of Figures 1 and 2 with the carton completely unfolded, and indicating by dashes the lines defining the elements of the reassembled toy;

Figures 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 are plan views of the individual parts of the toy after breaking or cutting the carton on the indicated lines;

Figure 9 is a horizontal sectional view of the assembled toy in position on a phonograph turntable; and

Figure 10 is an elevational view'of'v the asgraph turntable.

The assembled phonograph record container generally indicated at H] in Figure 1 comprises two generally rectangular sheets H and 12 of cardboard or similar material. The sheet II is scored as at l3 to facilitate folding of the sheet into a bottom portion I4 and a top portion i5,

6 and I illustrated respectively in Figures 6 and and is further scored as at It to define a foldable flap [7. It will be noted that the scoring I6 is illustrated as a pair of parallel, slightly spaced apart lines, to accommodate the thickness of the photograph record, and it will be understood that the scoring at [3 and other scorings to be described hereinbelow may also comprise a pair of slightly separated lines. 7

Sheet I2 is similarly divided by scoring I8 and I9 to define a center portion 20 and foldable flaps 2i and 22. s

The container is assembled by placing the bottom portion I l of sheet II on top of center portion 28.013 sheet l2 with the longitudinal axes of the sheets H and I2 perpendicular to one another, as illustrated in Figure 3. A phonograph record 23 is then placed on top of portion 14 of sheet I l.

' Flaps 2| and 22 are then folded over record 23 and top portion l5 of sheet II is folded over flaps 2| and 22. Flap I7 is then inserted into the space between the edge of phonograph record 23 and center portion 20 of sheet I2 in the position indicated in Figure 2.

The, purchaser reverses the procedure above described until he has before him the unfolded container and record, as illustrated in Figure 3.

In Figure 3 I have illustrated the individual elements of the toy (illustrated in assembled form in Figure 10) as being defined by dashed lines representing lines of weakening or printed marks for guiding a cutting tool, each elementin Figure 3 being identified by the number of the figure illustrating that element separately. For example, the roof portion 4 illustrated in Figure 4 will be seen in Figure 3 to be laid out on top portion [5 ofrsheet ll. Similarly, the trunk por-- tion 5 illustrated in Figure 5 constitutes the bottom portion M of sheet II. The wall portions 7 will be seen upon inspection of Figure 3 to be laid out on sheet l2. Finally, the centering disc 8 illustrated in Figure 8 is also laid out on sheet E2 in the area included within the limits of side wall '1.

According to the invention, the elements 4 through 8 of the finished toy are manually separated fromone another .and from the remainder of sheets II and I2 along the lines of weakening' by a process analogous to that by which checks are detached from a check book; if the individual parts are defined by printed lines they may be separated by cutting with scissors. The unwanted portions of sheets I l and I2 are discarded, leaving the elements of the finished toy, as illustrated in Figures 4 through 8.

The toy formed from the parts of the carton above described comprises two sub-assemblies, namely, a decorated portion comprising elements 41, t and l; and a trunk portion comprising elements 5 and 8.

The decorated portion is assembled by fiexing wall elements 6 and '1 along score lines i8, i9 and 25 to an angle of approximately 72 and inserting the tabs 25 into the slots 25 in roof element :2. Wall element 6 comprises four panels 27 (defined by score lines 18,19 and 24) and wall element 7 comprises three similar panels?! and a panel 28 of the same size but differentiatedby havinghadthe centering disc of Figure 8 separated therefrom. .Since the-wall of the finished toy has but five sides, threeoi the sides of the .finished'toy will consist of ,a double thickness, .each comprising two panels, as may best be seen in Figure 9. When assembling the toy, the panel 28 is lapped by one of the panels 2?, and,,accordingly, is not ,visible from the outside when the toy is assembled.

In Figures 3 and 4 it will be noted that the roof portion 4 is characterized by a cut out sector defined by edges 2S and 3D. The two slots 2t respectively adjacent edges 29 and til, as viewed in Figure 4, are separated by a greater distance than the distance separating the other slots 26 from one another, the separation being greater 1 by the distance between the lines 29 andjifl measured along the circumference of the circle defining the locations of slots 25.

Since each panel 2! is provided with a tab 25, it will be obvious that each of .three slots 25 of roof element i will engage two tabs 25. Since any two adjacent slots 25 in roof element 4 will be engaged by two tabs formed on the same element 6 or 7, and since the tabs 25 .are equally spaced, the edges 2.9 and 3,513 must bebrought into overlapping relationship and the roof element will therefore be maintained in conical shape with "the two edges 29 and3l] slightly overlapped as indicated in Figure 9.

The upper surface of roof element 4 and the outer surfaces of at least five of the panels 21 may be decorated in any appropriate way. For example, the roof element t may comprise sectors alternately colored .in contrasting shades, and the panels 2'1 may bedecorated with pictures of circus animals, thus giving the overall effect of a circus tent or merry-,go-round. Other decorative themes, depending upon the age of the child and upon the content of the phonograph record shipped in the container may, of course, be illustrated; and the decoration may, if appropriate, be applied to trunk portion 5.

Turning now to the trunk assembly, the rectangular element of Figure 5 is flexed about its long axis and the tabs .3l inserted into the slots 32, thus forming a cylindrical trunkwith notches 3d .at the bottom thereof, the two end notches registering one with the .other. Centering disc 8 .is then vaifixed to the bottom of trunk 5 by inserting the tabs 33 into the notches 34.

The 'toy is put in operation by placing trunk element-5 on a phonographturntable, which may or may .not'carry a phonograph record thereon, with the centerin 13015 .35 of centering disc 8 over the (center ipostLSG .of 1a phonograph turn table 31. The decorated portion comprising roof element 4 and wall elements 6 and l is then placed on trunk element 5 and the phonograph motor set in motion. It will be noted that the trunk element 5 is proportioned to maintain the lower extremity of wall 6-! above the plane swept by the upper portion of a phonograph pick-up 38. I have illustratedsin Figure '10 the assembled toy mounted onthe turntablao'f a. disc phonograph of the automatic record changer type, in which the pick-up is mechanically shifted across the record at aconsiderable height above the surface *thereofi'but it will be understood that if desired the trunk may be made somewhat shorter, so

.long as the lower extremity of Wall 6? is kept above the planeswept by the phonograph pickup during scanning of a record. It will further be noted'that the mass of the decorated portion of the toy is so distributed as to bring the center of gravity =of the !decorated .portion .below the point ofiengagementbetween the trunk element 5 .and the decorated portion. In 1thismanner, the decorated ,portion is .maintained in position by gravity, rendering unnecessaryany specialititerengagement between til unk portion 5 and the decorated portionoi the .toy. Due .to theconical shape of .theroofelemo'nt the position of the decorated portion on the trunk is automatically determined and maintained. If desired the .roof elementcould be secured to the trunk;by.means of engaging tabs.

I claim:

1. A container for a thin, disc-shaped object, said container comprising two discrete, flat sheets or relatively rigid material, each sheet being of generally rectangular shape andhaving a lengthat least twice the width thereof,.a first one of said sheets having ,a fold li e dividing said first sheet into-contiguous first and second portions, said first sheet also having a foldable flap at one end thereof, the second one of said sheets having fold lines aquarter length from each end to provide a substantially square central portion and'a pair of end flaps, one of said contiguous first and second portions having score lines defining agenerally circular cut-out provided with a first set of slots and adapted to be assembled in a substantially conical shape when separated from the rest of its associated sheet, the other of said contiguous first and.

second portions being provided with a plurality of score lines defining a second set :of slots spaced along one edge thereof and a plurality of scorelines defining tabs spaced alongan edge opposite to said one edge, said second set .of slots being adapted to receive said tabs when said edges are brought into overlapping relationship .upon separation of said contiguous first and second portions to provide a substantially cylindrical support for said cut-out, and said second sheet being divided by score lines :into two portions of substantially similar size along its longest dimension, each of said last named portions being divided into a like number of panels by score lines and each of said panels having a tab adapted to be inserted in a separate one of said first set of slots.

'2. A container according to claim 1 wherein one ofsaid contiguous first and second portions of said first sheet is disposed in :overlapping relation with said central portion :of said second sheet.

.3. A container according to claim 1 wherein one act *said contiguous first :and second portions of said first sheet comprises an end-portion of' 5 said first sheet, said end portion being initially disposed in overlapping relation with said central portion of said second sheet to provide a substantially T-shaped structure when said sheets are unfolded.

RONALD H. MARTIN.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Hensley May 23, 1922 Number Number 0 Number 

